Instagram Introduces 'Stories' That Disappear After 24 Hours [Videos]

Instagram has just announce the launch of 'Instagram Stories', a new Snapchat like feature that lets you share photos and video of your day which disappear after 24 hours.

As you share multiple photos and videos, they appear together in a slideshow format: your story. With Instagram Stories, you don’t have to worry about overposting. Instead, you can share as much as you want throughout the day — with as much creativity as you want. You can bring your story to life in new ways with text and drawing tools. The photos and videos will disappear after 24 hours and won’t appear on your profile grid or in feed.

Stories from people you follow will appear in a bar at the top of your feed. When there’s something new to see, their profile photo will have a colorful ring around it. To view someone’s story, tap on their profile photo. Tap to go back and forward or swipe to jump to another person’s story. If you want to comment on something you see, you can tap and send a private message to that person on Instagram Direct. Unlike regular posts, there are no likes or public comments.

Your story follows the privacy settings of your account. If you set your account to private, your story is visible only to your followers. However, you can also easily hide your entire story from anyone you don’t want to see it, even if they follow you. When watching your own story, swipe up to check out who’s seen each photo and video. You can choose to feature a particular part of your story by posting it on your profile.

Instagram Stories will be rolling out globally over the next few weeks on iOS and Android.